Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I discovered my love for writing in a bit of a weird way. I’m a middle child, so I grew up feeling like I didn’t get enough attention. At age thirteen, I started doing magic shows. That didn’t really get attention from my parents, until I started breathing fire.
While performing was a lot of fun, what I really enjoyed was planning routines. Planning a magic trick was a lot like creating a story.
You begin with a hook. I will attempt to escape this locked box! I will try to read your mind! I will pull a rabid chihuahua from my hat!
You face obstacles to achieving your goal. I will do this blindfolded, handcuffed, and for very little pay!
You even have an antagonist, that kid in the back row who announces how he thinks the trick is done. Invisible thread! Mirrors! Trap doors! A hidden monkey!
At last, you conquer the obstacles and reach a final dramatic climax, usually announced by the sacred magic words “Ta-da”.
After a few years, I decided that writing was more fun than performing, and had a lot less risk of being heckled. (This was before I knew about internet trolls.) I turned to writing short stories. I write science fiction, horror, fantasy, steampunk, cyberpunk, anything weirder than real life.
Although I mostly write speculative fiction, my first novel was a mystery. “They Ate The Waitress?” is the story of a murder at a restaurant for wealthy cannibals. It’s Dirk Gently meets Transmetropolitan.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For years, students have been coming to my website to ask me for writing advice. They ask about writing dialog, creating conflict, and character development, but most often what they need is a story idea to get them started. I decided to create the ultimate story ideas tool, so that students and writers would never have to sit and struggle to find something to write about.
Inspiration Overdose is a collection of over two thousand writing prompts, plus loads of tools and tricks to “remix” story ideas into something entirely new. The book can create over four septillion combinations. That’s more stories than anyone could possibly write in a lifetime, except maybe Stephen King.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influences are Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams, and other authors known for their sense of humor. I also read a lot of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and Hunter S. Thompson.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on compiling my short stories into a collection which should be released by the end of the year.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had a lot of success on Reddit. If you post a story or book at the right time and in the right subreddits, you can get thousands of clicks.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start with characters. Give each character a goal, motivation, and conflict.
Goal – The thing they want to accomplish. This should be specific. Not just “fall in love”, but “find someone who loves me despite my ugly facial scar, and do it before prom”.
Motivation – Why they want to accomplish that thing. Why do they want to find love before prom? Is it so they can make their ex jealous? So they have someone to dance with?
Conflict – Their goals and/or motivation should put them in conflict with the other characters. Even if two characters are on the same “side” of the book’s overall conflict, they can still disagree about the right way to win the war, fight crime, launch a cake pops business, etc.
If all of your main characters have “GMC”, the plotting work should flow much more naturally and with much less effort.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Jiggle the handle.” – Dad
What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading “The Definitive Book of Body Language: The Hidden Meaning Behind People’s Gestures and Expressions”. I decided to devote some time to studying body language to help communicate subtext during dialog scenes. If a character says something they don’t really mean, or says the opposite of what they mean, understanding body language is key to making that clear.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After I publish a couple of short story collections, I want to try my hand at my first series. There are a couple of trilogy ideas that have been bouncing around my head for ages. I would love to bring them to life and share them with the world.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, because it’s funny enough to keep me laughing during the hardest times.
Robinson Crusoe, so I could copy his survival plans.
My ancient copy of Oxford English Dictionary, because it’s big enough to use as a raft.
Author Websites and Profiles
D.N. Schmidt Website
D.N. Schmidt Amazon Profile
D.N. Schmidt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account